Episode 58: Economic Transformation and Social Divisions in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet

Jeffrey Rathke is the President of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC.

Prior to joining AICGS, Jeff was a senior fellow and deputy director of the Europe Program at CSIS, where his work focused on transatlantic relations and U.S. security and defense policy. Jeff joined CSIS in 2015 from the State Department, after a 24-year career as a Foreign Service Officer, dedicated primarily to U.S. relations with Europe. He was director of the State Department Press Office from 2014 to 2015, briefing the State Department press corps and managing the Department's engagement with U.S. print and electronic media. Jeff led the political section of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur from 2011 to 2014. Prior to that, he was deputy chief of staff to the NATO Secretary General in Brussels. He also served in Berlin as minister-counselor for political affairs (2006–2009), his second tour of duty in Germany. His Washington assignments have included deputy director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs and duty officer in the White House Situation Room and State Department Operations Center.

Mr. Rathke was a Weinberg Fellow at Princeton University (2003–2004), winning the Master’s in Public Policy Prize. He also served at U.S. Embassies in Dublin, Moscow, and Riga, which he helped open after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mr. Rathke has been awarded national honors by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as several State Department awards. He holds an M.P.P. degree from Princeton University and B.A. and B.S. degrees from Cornell University. He speaks German, Russian, and Latvian.

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jrathke@aicgs.org

Susanne Dieper is the Director of Programs and Grants at AICGS. She oversees the Institute’s programs and projects within the three AICGS program areas, manages all AICGS fellowships, and is in charge of grant writing. Her current focus is on issues related to transatlantic relations, immigration and integration, diversity, the next generation of leaders, workforce education, and reconciliation. She develops programs that align with the mission of AICGS to better understand the challenges and choices facing Germany and the United States in a broader global arena.

Previously, Ms. Dieper was in charge of organizational and project management at AICGS as well as human resource development and board of trustees relations. Prior to joining AICGS, she worked in transatlantic exchange programs, language acquisition, as well as the insurance industry in Germany.

Ms. Dieper holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in International Business and an MA in English Linguistics and Literature, History, and Spanish from the University of Cologne. She has completed course work in nonprofit management at Johns Hopkins University.

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sdieper@aicgs.org | 202-900-8331

Vanessa Simpson works as a on a team of linguists at Lidl U.S. headquarters doing translation work and stakeholder coordination for the grocery store. She has previous experience as Community Outreach Director in the Providence District Office for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in Fairfax, Virginia. Having spent a year as an exchange student in the CBYX program and living in the Ruhrgebiet, she is dedicated to the exchange of ideas around identity, culture, and community.

Yasmin is a Politics and Technology Graduate Student at the Technical University Munich focusing on regulation of emerging technologies and AI ethics. She also works as a Business Program Manager at Microsoft, where she engages in ‘Responsible AI’.
Yasmin is the co-founder of the initiative Responsible Technology Hub (RTH) and has further founded the non-profit organization Diverse Young Leaders e.V., which works toward making the youth leadership arena in Germany more accessible and inclusive to BPoC and other minority groups. Yasmin worked with the German Federal Foreign Office, the GIZ, the Welthungerhilfe as well as TechQuartier, and was named Young Global Changemaker 2022 by the Global Solutions Initiative. She was nominated for several awards for her engagement and received the ‘2021 Volunteer of the Year’ award.